Wigan Warriors: Thomas Leuluai looks ahead to his final outing for New Zealand

The 37-year-old will lead out the Kiwis at Headingley for the fixture against Leeds Rhinos on October 8, before assisting Michael Maguire at the forthcoming tournament.

Following the conclusion of the World Cup, Leuluai will become part of Matty Peet’s coaching staff, but is taking things one step at a time.

He said: “I’m looking forward to it (playing for New Zealand), it’s a huge honour but there’s going to be a bit of work that needs doing before that.

“I love playing for New Zealand, I love the environment, I love the boys, so I’m looking forward to that as much as the game.

“The main thing in the game is that I don’t want to stuff it up for them because they’ve got the rest of the tournament, so I’ll try my bit.

“It’s a game for the boys to get ready for the World Cup but also a tribute to me, so I’ll embrace it.

“I’m looking forward to that but I’m also looking forward to the new challenge, coaching.

“It’s something that I’ve thought about for a while and I’m really looking forward to it.

“I know the guy next to me (Matt Peet) is going to help me out a lot and I’m looking forward to working under him.”

During his time representing New Zealand, Leuluai won the 2008 World Cup and the 2010 Four Nations.